Industry overview
What is shaping information technology
IT services and technology companies sell to CIOs, IT heads and business leaders through long, multi-stakeholder buying cycles where trust and proof matter.
- Buying committees are getting larger
- Thought leadership and proof points shorten sales cycles
- Win/loss evidence improves bids
Client background
An IT services company, working in Bengaluru, Hyderabad & Chennai. Client identity is withheld to protect confidentiality.
- Organisation
- An IT services company
- Sector
- Information technology
- Team engaged
- Market Research
- Services
- Quantitative research, Qualitative research, Social media marketing
Client challenge
Attrition was high and recruitment costs were rising, and the company wanted to understand how it was seen as an employer. Exit interviews offered little insight, because departing employees rarely spoke openly to HR.
Research objectives
- Deliver on the brief: understanding what tech talent wants from an employer.
- Understand the views, needs and behaviour of professionals.
- Measure how widespread each pattern is, and explain the reasons behind it.
- Give the client evidence it can act on within 7 weeks.
Target audience
The work focused on 1,500 professionals.
- professionals1,500
Audiences we typically reach in information technology
CIOs and IT headsBusiness decision-makersProcurement teamsExisting clientsPartners and resellers
Geographic coverage
Coverage: Bengaluru, Hyderabad & Chennai. Market: India.
- India
Research methodology
A mixed-method design: structured research measured how widespread each pattern was, and qualitative conversations explained why.
- 1Brief
- 2Survey of tech professionals
- 3Employee interviews
- 4Insight
We surveyed tech professionals about employer choice, perceptions of competitors and the company, and interviewed current and former employees about their experiences. The survey reached professionals at different career stages through our business panel, with quotas for skills such as cloud, data and testing. Former employees were interviewed by independent researchers so they could speak freely.
Quantitative researchQualitative researchSocial media marketing
Sampling strategy
- professionals
- 1,500
- Qualitative participants were recruited purposively to cover the full range of experiences that mattered, rather than for statistical representation.
Data collection
- interviews
- 30
- Interviews and discussions were led by experienced moderators using a guide agreed with the client.
Data quality & validation
- Recordings and transcripts for every session
- Re-screening of qualitative recruits
- Logic and range checks on the final data
- Work carried out under our ISO 20252 quality procedures
Data analysis
- Cross-tabulation by key groups and locations
- Significance testing on the differences that mattered
- Thematic coding of interviews and discussions
- Journey and decision mapping
Key findings
- Learning opportunities and project variety mattered more than small salary differences.
Talent wanted growth, and employer branding worked best when it showed real opportunities.
Recommendations
- The company launched a visible learning programme and employer brand campaign highlighting real projects.
- Share the findings with the teams closest to customers so they can act quickly.
What we recommended, and the client put into practice
Business impact
- Offer acceptance rates improved over the following quarters, and early attrition among new joiners declined.
Deliverables & next steps
- Insight report and management presentation
- Cleaned data file and data tables
- Interview summaries and key verbatims
- Repeat the measure after changes are in place to track progress.
- A natural follow-on question: how is our brand seen against rivals?
Client identity is withheld to protect confidentiality.